MIA Samsung Telecommunications, provider of PBX, LAN-IP equipment and other corporate voice switching technologies, has adopted a simple, yet aggressive channel strategy to grow its market share in PBX unit sales. Already at 12.4%, this figure is second only to Telkom supplier Marconi, which holds 16.1% of the market.
The company`s 26 dealers are located countrywide and in several neighbouring countries, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. No fewer than 160 support and installation engineers as well as 200 marketing personnel are located at these dealers, providing essential technical and sales support, thereby ensuring the provision of a one-stop solution to customers.
MIA Samsung provides three levels of support, depending on the severity of the fault. The first being a two-hour response to faults like System dead, PABX attendant console not responding to operational commands, and Unable to dial out. The second kind of response provides a two- to four-hour response to faults like system partly working, executive or senior personnel extension out of order, PABX attendant console intermittently not responding, or the reporting of Telkom faults.
Finally, Type C faults are responded to within eight hours, and include extension telephones and telephone bells, telephone cords, night service bells, extension cable faults, busy lamp on switchboard, facility and minor program changes or voice mail.
The recommended qualification for a Samsung engineer is an MSCE (Microsoft Certified Engineer), although most have also completed all the major vendor certifications. Additionally, the company runs a successful student programme, in which one or two matric leavers undergo sponsored training in selected technical certifications.
"Once they have qualified we either employ them ourselves, or they are free to find employment elsewhere in the industry," says MIA Samsung Telecommunications CEO Malcolm Driessel.
"We distribute only through our recognised dealers who focus solely on Samsung products," he continues. "Besides product training, quality control, administrative and financial assistance, we also support them in closing deals with large corporations.
"We aim to ensure the ongoing profitability of our dealers, which in turn secures their loyalty and enables them to provide good, value-added service to their customers," Driessel concludes.
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